Labor Day Fun!

We have been looking forward to spending some time with Brent on Labor Day.  August was a terrible month with school.  He had many writing assignments, reading and tests (one of which was a national exam-if he didn't pass at the national average or above, he would have to retake it at $125.  He did pass...whew.).  This is on top of going to clinical for at least 8 hours a day and the daily preparation for that.  Needless to say, Brent needed some time off too.  So we headed to Lakes Park for some outdoor fun.  We started our morning off with a bike ride.  The girls were so excited to ride their own bikes and not be cramped in the trailer.   (You might remember our other bike rides here and here and here.)  This park has a nice paved pathway to ride on.  Have I mentioned that I like riding bikes in Florida?  Not necessarily because of the heat and humidity, but the benefit of having flat terrain.  No mountainous hills to climb.    

Here Brent, Kara and Erin are crossing the bridge over the lake.

Wes is a good sport to come along for a slow leisurely bike ride.

Erin is all ready to go!

Not sure if she can see or not.  I did fix it before we rode.  Her pony tail was getting in the way.  Kara sporting her bike with a basket and horn!
Here is a funny thing about the horn.  The neighbors across the street have an Airedale Terrier.  Cute, cute dog.  The owner said Kara's horn sounds like one of her toys.  Whenever she hears Kara's horn it drives her crazy.  The dog even gets excited when she sees the girls riding their bikes.  Kara, being a big tease, sees the dog and runs for her bike.  When she honks the horn, the dog tips her head one way and then the other.    Kind of a funny relationship that Kara and the dog have! 

Janiel and Ashleigh all ready to go!

We made quite the procession down the trail!

They have bike and boat rentals at this park.  So the next adventure was a canoe ride.  Brent took the girls for a half hour, came back and took Wes and Janiel out for a bit.  They saw birds and even an alligator!

Brent, Erin, Ashleigh, Kara and Janiel on a canoe.  Hope there wasn't an alligator in this part of the water!

Brent, Janiel and Wes going out.  

Looks like a cute boat-load of kids.

Off they go!

 Janiel took the camera on the second trip and took some pictures of the birds and other things to see!

After the canoe ride, we had some lunch.  Then the girls played in the splash park while Wes and Brent went on another bike ride (probably at a faster pace!)  I took some pictures of the girls in the water, but it was so crowded, you mostly see other kids.  So I won't bother posting those!  

After, we needed to cool off with some Sonic slushes and other treats.  Then we took a drive to see a wake board park.  It is pretty neat.  They have this cable that runs around a lake and the ropes hook into the cable.  It can pull 7 skiers at the same time.  Brent wanted to check it out so he can take Wes later.  It was a good day.  We came home exhausted, sweaty, and ready for the showers.